While The Ashes Burn
by musiccfreakk44
Summary: When Itex is defeated, the government gives the flock what they believe is the award of a lifetime. Confused and unsure of what to do now that their mission is over, they hesitantly accept and are thrust into an entirely new world. Can they adjust? Fax ;
1. Preface

**Preface**

"Max."

"Fang."

"Max."

"Fang." We stared at each other fiercely, Fang with that annoying cock of his eyebrow. I hardened my gaze, and he did the same. My jaw clenched and I turned on the full force Max glare; making sure that the fire in my eyes was nearly leaping our two foot gap and burning the smirk off of Fang's face. No effect. He stood just as cockily as ever, amused expression staring me head on. The fact that he'd grown only added to my frustration. Fang stood a full five inches taller then me, which made it feel like he was looking down on me, in more ways then one. I straightened up a little bit subconsciously. Being looked down upon was a pet peeve of mine.

"Fang." I growled. "You're being stubborn." Surprise, he didn't reply. Mr. tall, dark, and handsome only regarded me calmly. And was it my imagination, or did his eyes seem to be laughing? Almost as if they were saying '_Really Max? You're going to stand here and call other people stubborn?_'

I could've stomped my foot like an angry, hormonal girl; but it seemed too cliche. Instead I huffed and turned away, leaving Fang to deal with later. Sometimes, I really wish he would just explode. And no, not in the legitimate -burst into fire and die- way, but in the emotional way. Fang yelling and screaming at me would be more satisfying then having him just stare at me silently with no emotion at all. All his calm exterior did was make me angry, and frustrated, and even more enraged then I was at the start. For now, though, I cleared my thoughts of him. It was useless to dwell on the negative. Plus, what was Fang going to do? Give me the silent treatment? I chuckled a little bit at the idea.

"Another argument?" Gazzy asked as I approached the clearing where the rest of the flock was sitting. His eyes were wide with concern, and I couldn't resist wrapping him up in a big hug. I ruffled his blonde hair and bent down to mutter in his ear.

"Just the usual, Gaz. Nothing to worry about."

"When are you going to decide though?" My heart was breaking at the fear lacing his voice. How could you explain this to a nine year old?

"It's just." I paused, flustered. "It's a complex decision, and Fang and I have different opinions."

"But you _always _have different opinions." The Gasman sniffled. "It's never taken you this long to decide before." For a kid, he was pretty bright. And he was right. This was the longest that it had ever taken us to come to a decision and act on it. Now that there weren't erasers and flyboys following us around, we weren't under any pressure. We could spend as long as we wanted deciding on a path to follow, which had its good and bad sides. At this rate, we were going to be arguing in this little clearing for the next three years.

"I know Gaz, I know. We'll decide soon, promise. Why don't you go down to the lake with Nudge and Angel?" I gave the two a pointed look, and they nodded at me.

"Come on Gazzy." Nudge called. "Me and Angel can show you this awesome spot we saw before! It had like seashells, and waterfalls, and these little crabs that climb all over you and sometimes even bite your toes if your not careful. Remember that, Angel? That little crab was _this _close to getting you before I yelled and-"

"Okay!" Gazzy said, cutting her off. "I'll go I guess." Angel took his hand in hers, and the two were so adorable that I nearly sighed. He only looked slightly less worried as he sauntered off into the distance with the two girls; Nudge blabbering off about scorpions and beautiful sunsets. I resigned myself to one of the log benches surrounding our tiny campfire, staring idly into the smoldering ashes. My eyes glazed over a bit; and my thoughts wandered to the zone of my brain normally declared off limits. Was I wrong? It was an odd question to consider. In the past, I'd been so busy running, so busy escaping and keeping my flock safe, that I'd never really had time to question whether or not I was doing something the wrong way. It was trust your gut, or get attacked by people who wanted you dead. Now I had plenty of time to mull things over, and the voice in the back of my head kept me wondering. Was Fang right? Were we becoming a pack of lost bird kids; wandering around with no point? Viciously, I kicked a stone near my foot. That couldn't be true! After all we'd gone through to bring Itex down--we should be _happy. _Excited even. Not sitting around wondering what to do with our lives now.

Life aint fair folks; keep it in mind.

A soft tap on my shoulder startled me, and Iggy's pale blue eyes greeted me when I turned around. "Max." he said softly. I sighed, putting my palm up to silence him.

"If you're here to yell at me, save it. I've had enough of that today."

"I'm not going to yell. I'm just curious why you're dead set against the school?" He stopped, realizing what he'd just said, and flushed a bit. "Not that school. I didn't mean the--you know what I mean."

"I know what you meant." I muttered. My weary eyes finally dropped to a close, and I brought my hands up to massage my temples. Suddenly I couldn't remember my argument. Couldn't come up with any reasons other then _'I don't want to go." _ or _'I want it to stay just the six of us forever.' _But even in my stubborn mind that sounded selfish, and I grasped for straws where I could. "Do you really _want_ to go there?" I asked. "With homework and classes when we don't know anything? Our expiration dates could come to any of us at any time, don't you want to be together when that happens?" I looked at Iggy pleadingly, though he couldn't see my gaze.

"You're wrong Max." he said simply. "It's the only place that we'll ever fit in."

**Woooo! Sorry that this chapter is so short, that's because its just the preface. I wanted to know if people would even read my writing before I started making humongous chapters. So REVIEW and tell me if I should even bother continuing this =D Okay, well guys, its been real. P.S--I DO NOT OWN MAXIMUM RIDE OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS HERE STORY. They're alllllllll James Patterson. What a shame. **

**PPS: i know what you're all thinking, but this is not another "flock goes to high school." story. The school that they're talking about isn't a regular school at all. You'll have to keep reading to find out =D**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

That night, after making sure that Nudge, Angel, and Gazzy were fast asleep, I went flying. Nothing, not even my mom's homemade chocolate chip cookies, can compare to the joy you feel when your feet lift off of the ground. And let me tell you, those cookies are _good. _

To say that the day had been stressful would be an understatement. The slight breeze calmed my nerves; my wing muscles flexing soothingly. The full moon perfectly completed the mood. Calm. Peaceful. I closed my eyes and let my problems blow away with each foot climbed, so that soon I was a serene speck against the dark sky.

I considered switching to super speed, but I had to stay close. Just because Iggy was on the first watch didn't mean I could leave. God forbid something went wrong while I was gone, or somebody woke up and wondered where I was. I settled for flying in tight circles over our camp, just enjoying the sensation of being in the air. I could see for miles from my high perch, the sea stretching out in front of me, the woods cloaking the ground below me. The fresh air was enticing to my senses. I gulped greedily, inhaling the flavor of freedom and tranquility. We were safe here, safe as we could ever be. The six of us were hidden, alone, a pure family free from anybody's control. Why couldn't we stay here? Why were we never satisfied? Here I was living my dream life, yet it seemed that nobody besides me considered this more then a pit stop on the way to bigger and better things. It was frustrating. Beyond frustrating. Hell, it was pure aggravation.

"It's perfect up here." I twisted around to face the deep voice. Fang's dark shape was silhouetted in the moon, staring blankly towards the sea.

"There you go again." I sighed. "Reading my mind." He smirked, soaring up to fly next to me. His dark wings beat perfectly in time with my tawny ones, and for awhile we didn't have to say anything. We were content simply enjoying the night life and each other's company. The tension from our argument had simmered away with the daylight, and both of us understood the unspoken forgiveness in the air. Whatever our problems were, it wasn't worth staying angry with each other for long.

"You want to stay here." Fang said quietly. It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Of course." I replied. "Why would I want to leave? We're safe here. We're together." Fang turned to face me, looking at me in his unnerving way. Like he was trying to figure me out. Refusing to back down, I returned with a steady gaze of my own.

"Maybe." He shrugged.

"What do you mean 'maybe.'?" I asked stubbornly.

"How long do you figure it'll take life to catch up with us, Max? We've lived this before. I'm tired of running. The government offered us an out card, and I think we should consider taking it." He glanced up at the sky, and the pale light doused his calm face. He shimmered like an angel, and for a minute I was too stunned to answer.

"I like you better when you're quiet." I muttered finally, tearing my eyes away from him. Fang chuckled, although I'm not sure if it was because of my remark or because he caught me staring.

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"Court is now in session!" Iggy declared the next morning. We were sitting around our tiny campfire, enjoying the rare occasion that was bacon. I'd found a tiny food store fifty miles from here, but with my super speed it wasn't tough to make a breakfast run. For now the flock was in good spirits, loving that satisfied feeling that came with a full stomach.

"Court?" Gazzy asked, but through his full mouth it sounded more like "Chfrt?"

"Yes. Today we're going to make a decision." Iggy looked my way for approval, and I nodded.

"You mean you're finally going to tell us about the choice everybody's arguing about?" Nudge asked excitedly. "Thank god! You know Max, I was begging to think you didn't trust us! I mean, I know we're not as old as you and Fang and Iggy, but we're still family and we still want to help you decide and all. Whatever it is, it's got to be a pretty big deal by the way you and Fang keep fighting, I mean you guys normally don't fight but now it's like all the tim-" I silenced her with a hand over her mouth.

"Yes, Nudge. If you ever pause to breathe, we're going to tell you." I replied with a roll of my eyes.

"Sorry." Came her meek response, and I pulled my hand back.

"Okay." I sighed. "Well, basically, we have two options. We can either stay here, and live together," I paused, looking each one of them in the eye. "Or, we can-"

"A school Max! Really?" Angel cried. "This is so cool!" Damn. I'd forgotten about Angel's convenient little talent. We'd been doing a good job blocking this thought from her for the last few days, but now I'd let my guard down. I huffed.

"Well there goes that surprise." Nudge opened her mouth to gush and rave about the idea, but I placed my hand securely back over her mouth. "Let Iggy describe it to you before you make up your mind." I told her. Iggy looked surprised that I'd passed the torch to him, but took control none the less. I didn't feel like talking about this "perfect" little opportunity anymore. By the looks on the three kids faces, I could tell they'd already made up their minds. A frown settled on my face while I sat back indignantly and chewed on my bacon.

"Okay." He started. "Well, after we destroyed Itex, I guess the government found a ton of other mutants that were experimented on. Like, a lot of them. Too many to try and mix into public schools. Plus, most of them were really scared and confused and too nervous to go into the real world. So the government made a separate school, _just _for mutants, where we can be normal for once. There's all these special teachers, and they have flying classes so it's not all boring…Anyway we were invited to start there in September. And since that's only like a week away, we need to make up our minds already."

"We won't even have to hide our wings?" Angel asked. Iggy shook his head.

"Nah. Actually, there might be other kids with wings there too."

"Yes!" Nudge screamed, finally prying my hand away from her face. "A thousand million trillion times yes! We can finally make friends and stuff!"

"Are you sure Nudge?" I asked. "We could stay here you know. It could stay just the six of us."

Nudge was, shockingly, quiet for a moment. "We'd still be a family Max." She whispered. "Just because we have friends doesn't mean we aren't a family." Angel walked over to give me a hug. I kissed the top of her head, and she squeezed in next to me.

"It's gonna be okay Max." She said. "Nothing's going to change. School can't tear us apart. We love each other." I hugged Angel tighter and blinked back a tear.

"Okay." I admitted. "I guess that's two for yes. Gazzy, do you have any thoughts here?" He hesitated, before looking up at Iggy.

"Can we blow things up?" He asked.

"There are entire _classes_ for blowing things up." Iggy said happily.

"I'm in then." Gazzy admitted. "Sorry Max." I sighed. Things were just not going my way today. I knew better then to argue though. A good leader knows when to step down; plus it was about time the flock caught a break. If this was really what they wanted to do, then I wasn't going to have a choice.

"It's alright Gaz. Iggy?"

"Yes." He decided, after a second of hesitation. "I want to try it."

"Fang?" He looked at me, studying, for a long minute.

"No." He said finally. Everybody whipped around to stare at him.

"Um, what?" I asked stupidly, jaw hanging open.

"No." He repeated simply. "I want to stay here with you guys." I stared at him, not really processing. Wasn't he the one who'd been arguing with me about this the entire time? He was the school's top advocate. Why the heck would he be changing his mind now?

"Well, that's still four for yes and two for no." Angel piped up. "So we're still going. Right, Max?" I snapped out of confusion for a minute. Angel was right, I realized. Just because Fang was finally agreeing with me didn't change anything. We were still outvoted, and still we had to go to this school. Which means I had to start packing, and planning, and flying, and accomplishing all of my other leaderly duties.

"Right, Ange." I admitted. "Well guys, start getting your stuff together. We should probably leave in an hour or so. They've got houses near this school, but they'll fill up fast. And if we don't get a house we're stuck in the dorms."

"What's wrong with dorms?" Gazzy asked.

"They separate the boys and girls." I explained. "And I don't care what school we go to, the six of us are staying together." Nobody dared to argue that point.

Breakfast finished up pretty quickly after that. The sun was reaching its highest point in the sky, and the bacon was reaching its lowest point in the bag. Everybody was buzzing with excitement and talk of school, making plans for classes and gossiping about what friends they wanted to have. Everybody except for me that is. And Fang, who I still couldn't get a read on. While the rest of the flock went to go pack up the little we could carry around, he and I hung back to put out the fire and enjoy the woods for as long as we could. It was beautiful, and I still didn't want to leave. I could imagine living here, maybe building a house, and just existing forever. We could be a family, frozen in time. But even to my mind it was starting to sound like wishful thinking.

"What made you change your mind?" I asked Fang, plopping down on a log. He sat down silently beside me.

"You were right."

"Don't sound so surprised." Fang chuckled and rolled his eyes, but continued.

"I'd rather stay here with you. I don't want school to tear us apart. Plus, it wasn't so great last time."

"Why Fang, could you possibly be referring to your little red headed 'friend'?"

"Jealous?" He smirked.

I gaped. "In your dreams!"

"Well what about 'Sam'?" Fang asked.

"What about him?"

"You guys seemed close."

I shook my head. "This is exactly why I hate school. Let's make a pact right now to not let stupid stuff like this cause us to fight again." Fang considered, smiled, and held his hand out for me to shake. I gripped his hand strongly, and a silent agreement flashed through our eyes. Mutant High, here we come.

**Woooo! Finally got this chapter written. I was sick today, so I figured I'd finish this one up. I'm not sure how the dialogue was balanced however, tell me if it sounds a little choppy. Also, I know Max sounds a little bit cynical and depressing, but that's just because she's leaving and going back to school. She's not going to be like that for the entire story. After she gets used to the idea she'll cheer up and get back to normal. Fang's tough to write too. I'm trying to write a little bit of fax, but I don't want it to be over the top or out of character. Anyway, do me a huge favor and hit the review button. I love hearing what you guys have to say. **


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